Why is it that presumptions or anxiety about an event seem to cause a complete reversal of the event?

Has anyone else ever had the experience of putting lots of energy into an upcoming, seemingly imminent event, and the whole situation changes so that the event doesn't even happen? Example: You spend the weekend planning a new budget to the last dollar and commit to sticking to it. It takes hours and lots of effort. You arrange auto-debits and change some billing dates to better balance your cash flow. You set up a savings and investment plan that is sure to succeed. By the end of the weekend you are exhausted but you feel great because you can clearly see yourself out of debt in two years, with a hefty savings account. You call your Mom and tell her the good news. You fantasize about taking a vacation to Bora Bora in two years. You imagine that you will meet your soul mate during a sunset walk on the beach. You feel great and think you are finally 'in control'. On Monday, your company announces that your entire division will be outsourced and you are now out of work. You can't find another job for several months so you end up taking one that pays 30% less. So much for being in control.

If you are wondering, no this did not happen to me. This is only an example. Of course you can always say that the loss of the job was completely unrelated to the great effort you just put into your wealth management and emotional high that ensued. However, I have had similar experiences so-so-so many times that I have to wonder if I am causing the effect with my energy. It seems the more energy I put into imaging things that haven’t happened yet, the less likely they are to happen.

I feel confused because Creative Visualization and similar books teach you how to imagine and feel that certain things are already true. Doing this supposedly alters your thinking and reality such that they actually become truths. I actually believe this can be done and I've had a few of these experiences as well, but they are the exception. I want to learn to do this successfully every time and get off the emotional roller coaster.

It seems I’m not alone in feeling that we shouldn’t get too excited about future events. Here are some things that have me pondering: • My Muslim friend bought a new car. He immediately hung an unattractive 'evil eye' symbol from the rear view mirror. He explained that it's purpose was to bring something 'ugly' into the car to create a balance with the beauty of the car, since an imbalance is unnatural and will always be corrected (by a dent or whatever). Every time he got in the car, he saw the evil eye as well as the beauty so his thoughts were kept “in check” if you will. You could simplify this to say he believed the evil eye brought "good luck" regarding the car. • I've been given a very similar explanation by a Hindu friend regarding the reason they smear a dark streak on the foreheads of their (beautiful) children. • In Peter Benchley‘s The Girl of the Sea of Cortez, a man has found what he believes is an oyster with a giant pearl inside. He thinks about how much he will be able to do with all the money after he sells the pearl. Before he opens the oyster, he tries to calm himself because he believes the gods don’t like it when a person gets too excited about things before they’ve happened. When I read this many years ago, I thought “I know what he means!”

So my question is this: Why is it that sometimes visualization brings about things you want and sometimes it seems to cause the opposite effect? It seems to have something to do with the level of energy/anxiety we have regarding the thing. A calmer, ‘if it be your will’ sort of attitude seems to be more effective. Since I don’t believe in a God who has a will, this is difficult for me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

In answer to G30d3. The work I am involved in is both Energy Medicine and Spiritual Psychology. A modality called Noetic Field Therapy or Noetic Balancing. We approach psychology from an energetic perspective. This started back in the mid-60's and is gaining a little momentum. You can google Noetic Field Therapy. I am hoping to begin to get involved in some research and am beginning to look around for the folks and place for it. We are also doing deep work with forgiveness as that is a key component in the balancing work.

I have studied aspects of consciousness, use of psychotropics and spirituality since the 60's and have has a spiritual practice consistently for over 30 years.

Thanks, Fallensoul. I appreciate your feedback. I've known for some time that I should meditate more. I tend to be on the run or sleeping; not much in between. The first feeling I have as I consider meditating is fear of what I may discover. Obviously, I need to face this. I'll work on that.

We create the people and situations and circumstance that confront us in order to induce the changes we need to 'evolve'. The trick is being able to know what they were put in your way for and how to interpret them. Ask and ye shall receive was once written. Without harmonizing with one's "true self", the 'creator' behind the veil remains a mystery, the path is never illuminated. It's like a business where the bossman decides what needs to be done and sends out the workers to do it. The conscious mind is just one of the workers, nothing more. This applies not just on an individual level but on a cultural/societal and global level as well.

According to Vedanta we are not the only doer. There are other factors apart from our intentions/visualizations/attitude that give the results of action. Even though our desires spring from our own limited free will our endeavor is not the independent cause of actions -- one could say -- man proposes and God disposes.

One important factor, as Winston has just commented, is karma. The intricacies of karma or action, as you are experiencing, is not so easy to understand. The basic definition is that it is a moral law. Just as there are criminal laws that judge the results that accrue to a criminal, there are moral laws that determine the results of one's actions. As you sow, so shall you reap. A good action, results in a good reaction and vice versa. Because we have been endowed with free will -- i.e we are choosing/desiring to act in a particular way for our self pleasure, we are held responsible for the results of our action -- good or bad. Therefore during our lives we receive the results of these past actions -- not just this life, but from previous lives also. They are accrued and can manifest now and future lives -- and this accounts for large variance of good and evil at all levels of reality in this world -- An explanation of why seemingly the "bad" things happening in your life, happen even to "good" people and vice versa.

But most important factor, according to the vedic literatures, is the sanction of an unseen neutral observer. Something like the consciousness behind the universe, but in reality far more sublime and personal than that. Call it the Supersoul. The Supersoul isn't us, although we are connected to it, but He provides us moment to moment guidance in helping us fulfil our desires, just like a mother gives assistance to her helpless baby. In the same way we, the soul, is sitting in the car of the body and the driver is the Supersoul. Where we wish to go is communicated to the driver who then considers our desires, our karmic account and other factors then sanctions that desire. The Supersoul is neutral in providing us the results of our desires according to our karma etc.

When one chooses by our own free will to try to connect with the Supersoul on a deeper level -- through the process of yoga -- then one gets the real juice and is able to get out of the cycle of action and reaction and then one can happily desire and get whatever he wants. Until that time, we're bound to eating the results of our own actions -- which only continues the cycle of frustration.

We are multidimensional beings and so the answer must address multi-dimensions. Intention is the way we focus toward something, visualization is a way to exercise our intention. Our thoughts and feelings (feelings follow thoughts) broadcast our intention. So, with our conscious self we create a focus and make a plan how we are going to create. Keep in mind, all your thoughts and feelings are broadcast. How single minded are you?

Then comes the unconscious or subconscious part. Something that many call karma plays a role here. Karma simply means action. We are responsible to complete our actions. This completion is according to the universe and not just our idea of it. The unconscious supports us by giving us guidance toward completion. Sometimes conscious focus seems to be delayed or waylaid in some way by our unconscious guidance.

That's two dimensions. While there are others, a notable third is something you might call our Highest Good. This is how the intelligence of, what we can call, the Zero Point Field, oversees our movement toward fulfillment. How does that work? It is the thing that holds it all together from the way particles form matter to the way our individual life goes. This is about who we are and what we are made of, it is about the structure of consciousness.

In the work we do, which involves a lot of consciousness research, we would begin to explore this "effect" you are experiencing, to see how you are creating it and how it begins to make sense in supporting the fulfillment of your highest good. Bringing this to your awareness will not only support you in having more of what you know you want, it also supports your place, your belonging in the cosmos.

Yes, good point. Do you think subliminal recordings can help with this? Of course, you'd first need to understand yourself well enough to know which of your beliefs are blocking you. This gives me something to chew on......thanks.

There’s a difference between visualizing and hoping for what you want and setting a purposeful intention grounded in belief. Sometimes we hold beliefs that are inconsistent with what we say we want (we may not even be aware of the inconsistency). But those beliefs may undermine all our visualizations and hopes and result in what seems to be wasted energy and effort.